Stillness
by Strati
Summary: A meandering tale about Garrett growing up in the Keeper Compound with a generous helping of artistic license. Told from various perspectives including Garrett's and Artemus' among others. UPDATE HOLY CRAP August 19, 2008 .
1. Prologue

_Hello, and welcome to my fanfic. This is a 'for fun' story, but we'll just see how far it goes._

_Disclaimer: Okay, I'm only going to say this ONCE: I own nothing except for what is obviously original! There! I'm done! No more!_

**Stillness- By Strati AKA Faetis **

**Prologue **

To hear about the numerous bastard orphans wandering the streets was one thing, but to have one in front of you… that was different. The Hammerites advertised them as weak little lost things that only needed a home and the Light of the Builder to become good, God-fearing citizens. To his private shame, Artemus had bought into the 'weak and lost' bit… but that was before he met Garrett. To think that the awkward adolescent he had practically raised was now the invisible master of shadows nearly made Artemus crack a smile. Nearly.

Garrett had always been an odd one, even as a boy. It seemed ironic to think of how he turned out. Among the Keepers he had stuck out like a sore thumb, with his rough 'gutter' accent, sharp tongue, and the street slang that his instructors had tried in vain to erase from his vocabulary. He had been small even then, but was still all gangly arms and legs, and had sharp features that belonged to someone twice his age. To think of him as weak was laughable.

He had been so young, only eleven or twelve at the oldest. When Artemus initially asked Garrett his age the boy immediately said he was fifteen. It was a very smooth, very practiced lie. When Artemus asked him again he actually flushed a little and said he didn't know exactly. Artemus didn't even bother with asking if he knew his surname or who his parents were. The Keeper record simply noted him as "_Garrett Brown, age 12_", but really it was anyone's guess. After a while the invented surname faded to little more than the ink on his record, and after he left, it mattered not all.


	2. Old Habits Die Hard

**Stillness- By Strati AKA Faetis **

**Chapter One: Old Habits Die Hard**

Internally Artemus winced and wished the boy could at least _pretend_ to be sorry, but no, that would make too much sense. There he stood, meeting the harsh glare Keeper Orland was giving him, his jaw set in that infuriating scowl.

"Mister Brown," Orland said, almost hissing through his clenched teeth, "We do realize your upbringing… that you have lived for the most part without supervision, but you must understand that theft will not be tolerated within our walls."

"Then it's not my fault, sir." Garrett answered innocently.

"Pardon?", Orland narrowed his eyes.

"Well, considerin' my 'upbringing'…."

"Young man, I will not tolerate sarcasm."

" I wasn't being sarcastic, all I'm sayin' is that I can't help it, sir."

"You will help it, Mister Brown. And you will mark my words when I say that your behavior had better improve or-"

"_My _behavior" _Uh-oh_, thought Artemus, _here it comes_… "I'm not the one who was wavin' his stupid little trinket around!"

"Do not try to pass the blame wholly onto Aloysius, young man."

"He _deserved_ it!" Garrett was nearly shrieking now, his gray eyes glittering with all the rage and indignation a twelve-year-old-boy could muster.

"That is enough, Garrett Brown!" Orland was angry too, but his was a quiet, infinitely more frightening angry. Any sensible child would have lowered their eyes in obedient shame, but Garrett wasn't a sensible child, and he fixed Orland with a defiant stare. After a tense second or so (it seemed like an age to Artemus) of fiery glaring, Orland tore his eyes away from the boy and turned to Artemus, his anger reigned in but still apparent. "Keeper Artemus, as his mentor, I leave the matter of chastisement to you. I will see to Aloysius." Artemus nodded impassively at his colleague and, taking Garrett firmly by the shoulder, steered the boy out of Orland's office. He released him as soon as the door was closed behind them and started down the hall at a brisk walk, already knowing that Garrett would follow. As soon as they reached the privacy of Artemus' own study, the Keeper held Garrett with an iron gaze.

"Well, I hope you gained something from that." Artemus said stiffly.

"But it wasn't my fault!"

"That will be discussed later. For now I want you to understand exactly what you have done.", he continued, as though he hadn't heard the boy. Garrett snorted.

"I know what I did, and-"

"I am fully aware of that" Artemus sighed and resisted the urge to massage his throbbing temples. "But you do not fully understand the implications of what you have done. Sit down."

"So I pissed off that old-"

"_Sit_." Garrett sat. Artemus himself took his own chair behind his desk. "Garrett…" He rested his fingertips on the desktop, and tried to find the correct words. "First of all I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"I took Aloysius' little pendant thing and we got in a fight." Garrett said huffily.

"No, what I mean is, please tell me what happened this morning as it happened to you. In your own words." Artemus steepled his fingers and tried to look benevolent. Truth be told, he was as angry at his young charge as Orland was, but overt anger never solved anything. It was better to keep your balance as to assess the situation calmly.

"Well Aloysius has this pendant, an' yesterday he was waving it around saying how valuable it was, an' I asked if I could take a look, just so I could see the designs better and he said I couldn't, an' I asked why not and he said because…" here Garrett's face darkened with remembered fury, "He said that I might get my street filth all over it."

"I see." Murmured Artemus, sympathizing a little with the boy. Aloysius Cossagen was a recruit from a wealthy family who's head was an ally of the Keepers. Artemus had no opinion of Aloysius other than he had to be broken of his superiority complex. "So, then what happened?"

"Well, last night I snuck over to Aloysius' room and took it." Garrett smirked, feeling a bit proud of what he thought was a major accomplishment.

"Why?" Artemus inquired in his measured tones. Garrett furrowed his eyebrows. He hadn't been expecting this. Why did he even ask, when the answer was clear enough. He did it because… well… why did he do it?

"I guess I thought it would make him think twice about making fun of me."

"Garrett, you've been taking lessons with the same group as Aloysius for several weeks, yes?"

"Yeah."

"What can you tell me about him?"

"He's an idiot." The boy snapped.

"Garrett…" Atremus warned. Garrett rolled his eyes.

"I _mean _he's really loud" _And you're not?_ Thought Artemus, "and he's always bossing the other students around and gets pissed off real easy." Artemus decided to ignore the mild swearing for the moment and get to the point.

"Garrett, knowing this, how did you think Aloysius was going to react when he realized that his pendant was missing and when you told him, in no uncertain terms so I have heard, that you had stolen it? Did you think he would apologize for his rudeness?" Garrett dropped his gaze and his face went pink.

"I dunno…"

"The point is Garrett" Artemus stated, choosing his words carefully, "It's not that you didn't _know_, it's that you didn't _think_." Garrett opened his mouth, probably to let loose some acid retort, but his mentor stopped him with a hand. " You are a smart lad, Garrett, but you very rarely think about the consequences of your actions. Every action you take in life will have a reaction, and you need to decide if you can cope with that reaction. If you steal something, you must be aware that someone is going to be very angry. Then you must decide if it is really very wise to be engaging in theft at all, do you understand?" Artemus eyed the boy, trying to gauge his response, but Garrett's eyes were closed off to his probing. In a rare show of deference, Garrett bowed his head and answered with a quiet 'yes, sir'.

Later, Atremus sentenced Garrett to an afternoon of shoveling out the stables at the back of the compound. Garrett predictably groaned and balked, but it wasn't his usual defiance that Artemus would look back on, years down the road. Rather, he would remember the strange look in Garrett's eyes while he contemplated Artemus' lecturing. It was stillness and a… coldness Artemus had never seen before. Almost like a hunter unfeelingly dressing his kill. In retrospect, he never would have guessed he'd be seeing that look more and more often as the boy called Garrett Brown grew into manhood.


	3. An Errand

Okee-dokee, in honor of the second chapter of this weird thing, I've decided to clear something up: Just in case you didn't know 'Aloysius' is pronounced "ALOO-IH-SHUS" not "ALLOY-SHUS".

There! Education for the masses!

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**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter Two: An Errand**

Fifteen-year-old Aloysius Cossagen flexed his aching fingers, but only for a precious split second. Keeper Isolde stopped her history lectures for nothing and no one, so her students had to be quick with their quills. Aloysius could hear Garrett's soft, even breathing behind him; he dared a quick glance at his friend and rolled his eyes. The little taffer was asleep! _Though it's not as if it matters for him_, though Aloysius with a twinge of jealousy. Garrett was a full year younger than Aloysius (not to mention nearly all of their classmates), never seemed to take any notes, and rarely (if ever) paid attention to the instructors… and yet he was ranked as one of the top students in the entirety of the compound. Aloysius was also ranked as high, but he had gotten there by near fanatical study habits. Garrett just seemed to glide through his studies with hardly any effort, a fact that drove Aloysius mad with frustration. It defied all logic to think that the two were as thick as thieves. Aloysius had lost most of his snobbiness and had developed a sort of witty charm that made him well liked among all of the students. Garrett remained taciturn and sardonic, but Aloysius found him to be good company. They could both recall some argument they had had a couple of years back, but neither boy could remember quite what it was over. In the end, they would both agree that it probably wasn't that important anyway.

"Cossagen!" Isolde's razorblade voice sliced the quiet in two and make Aloysius jump, "would you mind telling the rest of us what you find so fascinating abut the windowpanes?" To his horror, Aloysius realized he had been staring out the window for at least the past five minutes. He flushed a bright red that nearly matched the color of his hair and mumbled a 'Nothing, ma'am'. "Well, with that issue out of the way, perhaps you can pay attention, hmmm?"

"Yes, Keeper Isolde." Isolde gave Aloysius one last withering glance before returning to her lecturing. Aloysius heard Garrett snicker softly and attempted to kick the other boy. This only made Garrett snort with laughter as he moved his feet out of Aloysius' way.

"How do you do it?" Aloysius demanded after class.

"Do what?" Garrett said innocently.

"You were asleep and Isolde never even noticed!"

"Well, I woke myself up when she was looking my way."

"That's a load if I ever heard one. If you were asleep how could you have known when she was looking at you?"

"Hey, is that Diane over there?" Aloysius obligingly turned his head to look, only to turn back and find that, predictably, Garrett had disappeared into the small throng of dismissed students.

* * *

Garrett huffed in frustration as his arrow hit distinctly off course. He told himself it was the slight wind, but even then he knew that wasn't true. He lied all the time, and he knew it. Like that morning, when Aloysius asked him how he managed to sleep in Isolde's class without getting caught. The truth was he hadn't been asleep at all. Rather, he had been listening. All he had to do was close his eyes and the dull little room offered up a symphony of different sounds. The soft breathing of the students, the steady beat of his own heart, quills scratching rapidly across parchment, and above it all was Isolde's thin voice. She had been on the subject of immigration to the city.

Before Artemus brought him to the compound, Garrett had lived near the Docks, if you could call huddling behind some crates at night 'living'. In any case, this meant foreigners were a regular sight for him. They came from everywhere, so it seemed. Burly Northmen with red or white-blonde hair and gruff accents, or the smaller, lither Southerners with their olive skin and finely chiseled features. As a young boy, he had often looked as carefully as he could at the faces of the Southerners, trying to detect a familial resemblance. Iysst the Beggar had once told him he must be _'the child of some Southern whore, 'cause of yer colorin''_. Garrett realized that Iysst had meant the remark as something of an insult, but had taken the deeper meaning to heart. Maybe, he had come from somewhere. If he had come from somewhere, that meant he belonged somewhere. Maybe he did belong among the dark-haired Southerners… but no, in the end he belonged here, among the Keepers. Yes, that was right.

_But_, he thought, a little uneasily, _if I belonged here, then why do I miss that so much._ He didn't mean the cold or the hunger or the grime, but just the feeling of being in the middle of it all. He had been at the compound for a little over two years, and in that time, his trips to the surrounding City were very few, and always accompanied by Artemus. The lack of open space was enough to make him feel nervous. _C'mon, Garrett. You're a big boy. Get used to it. You can get used to anything._ Garrett knocked another arrow and drew back the bowstring with a little more force than was necessary. He fired quickly, his arrow missing the target and burying itself in the wooden wall behind it at an awkward angle.

"You're trying too hard. Relax and do it again." Garrett resisted the urge to jump. Artemus had managed to sneak up on him again.

"The wind's-"

"A faint breeze, Garrett. Now, try again." Artemus folded his arms and gave a Garrett a gently commanding look. Garrett sighed and knocked another arrow and pulled back the string. Aiming carefully, he loosed the arrow, which hit an inch or so left of the target's center. Garrett grinned at his mentor, who promptly handed him another arrow. Garrett raised an eyebrow but took the arrow and fitted it to the string and took aim.

"Now stop." Artemus said suddenly. Garrett froze, resenting the order. Holding back the string of a longbow for long was no mean feat. "You must see the arrow hitting home first, before making arbitrary decisions. Archery requires no small amount of strategy, so make your decision first, then fire." Garrett held back a frustrated sigh, but did as he was told. Taking into account the breeze and the distance, he aimed and fired. This time the arrow hit dead center.

"Very good." Artemus intoned. Garrett knew this would probably be the highest praise he would ever get from Artemus, and looked appropriately grateful by giving a short nod. "You are very distracted today," continued Artemus "May I ask why?"

Garrett shrugged, "I was thinking about going out."

"You are out." Artemus said, gesturing to the small Practice Yard. Garrett scowled. For a man who could practically read his thoughts, Artemus could be annoyingly oblivious sometimes.

"I mean getting out of the compound for a while. Just seeing a bit of the City."

"The City?" Artemus repeated. He had little fondness for the bustling metropolis, preferring the quiet of the Keeper's Library. "The City can easily make one loose their balance."

"I _know, _but it's been over a month since I was last outside the compound or the library."

"You've been spending very little time in the library to my knowledge."

"Hey, I get the work done. Look, all I want to do is just… I don't know, take a walk or something, but I can't leave without your saying so. I swear I wouldn't do anything." Garrett went over to the target, and started pulling the arrows out.

"So you say."

"What? Do you think I'm lying?" Garrett gave the arrow in the wall a vicious tug, almost causing it to splinter, but it was stuck fast.

"Garrett, I do not think you are lying," Artemus made a placating gesture and joined Garrett by the target. "But you cannot pretend you don't have a tendency to… forget your obligations." He pulled out a pocketknife from somewhere in his robes and pried the arrow out of the wood.

"I'm not talking about a major errand. Just a walk, is all."

"Garrett…"

"Fine then. Keeper Master Artemus, would you please grant me permission to journey into the City unaccompanied?" said Garrett, finishing with an ironic half-bow.

"Very clever." Artemus responded with a raised brow. "If you wish, Garrett, you may go, but I won't let this be a mere frivolity. I want you to do something for me."


	4. The Enforcers

Hello, party peoples. It bes me, and I want to say thank you to Keeper-Anakara and Locker51 for their reviews. Ciao!

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**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter Three: The Enforcers**

"Ouch." Garrett shaded his eyes, blinking owlishly. Even the diffused, orangey half-light of early evening seemed as bright as midday to him. He supposed that is what came with being inside all the time. Even the open-air practice yard back at the compound never received this much light, enclosed as it was by high, stone walls. He blinked a few more times and grinned to himself. Even with that boring little errand Artemus had for him, this was just what he had needed. Garrett was no social butterfly, but isolation did not do well for him. He could only take so much of the quiet and stoicism of the Compound. Here in the Old Quarter, life was going nosily along its way. Commoners and Nobles alike could be found, enjoying the last few hours of sunlight without the oppressive heat of the day. Garrett happily soaked in the sound for a moment before collecting himself and starting down the cobbled street. After all, he did have a job to do, and no matter how much he disliked it, he wanted to get it over with. Perhaps, if he completed this small task to Artemus' satisfaction, he might be allowed out more often.

"_It is a simple chore I have set for you, Garrett." Artemus said, "But you must follow my instructions **to the letter**, do you understand? Good. Now, there is a certain object that is being delivered to the Hammerite temple at Fort Ironwood. A chalice. This object is of considerable symbolic importance to the Hammerites, now more so than ever. It was recently stolen en route to the City by a small band of Pagans, and the Hammerites have only just recovered it. If the Pagans manage to lay hold of the chalice yet again, the Hammerites may go to drastic measures to retrieve it. All you need to do is see that the chalice is delivered to Fort Ironwood. There will an Enforcer nearby who will be overseeing the delivery and dealing with any Pagans who might attempt an attack. You will be given the tools to protect yourself if necessary, but **only** to protect yourself. You are there to **observe** a Keeper mission in action, not to take part in it."_

The 'tools' Artemus mentioned turned out to be three Gas Bombs, specially modified to be extra silent. As Garrett neared Fort Ironwood, his blood began to hum excitedly in his veins. True, he was only there to watch, but even that was better than just studying mission reports. He could already hear the clanking armor of a Hammerite garrison approaching from down the street. Carefully fitting himself into a shadowy niche where the sides of two large buildings met to form a short, narrow alley he fixed his eyes on the entrance to Fort Ironwood and prepared to watch the show.

Suddenly, an unearthly shriek rent the air. Garrett sucked in a breath and felt his muscles tense. In a split second his hand found one of the Gas Bombs… and then nothing happened. He looked around wildly and backed further into the shadows. The cry had been loud enough that Garrett's ears still rang slightly, but the people on the darkening street before him looked as though they hadn't heard anything at all. But… why? They should at least be looking around to see what it was. That is, unless… _No! That's impossible! I can't… can't I? _Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Garrett edged carefully out of his corner and into a small shadow at the side of the street. The noise itself had startled him so much that he had no way of knowing where it had come from. Instead, Garrett instinctively began to follow what felt like a trail of… panic. Moving slowly, as if in a trance, he mentally felt his way along the 'trail', which began to lead back into another, deeper alleyway not thirty feet away from where Garrett had been hiding. As he crept further into the passage, the alarm in the air was so thick he could almost taste it; sharp and bitter. He was so captivated by the feeling that he didn't notice the dark shape on the ground in front of him until he nearly tripped over it. Ducking to see it better, he discovered, to his horror, a human body. Not just any body either, but that of the Enforcer Artemus had mentioned. Even through the iron mask Garrett could hear ragged wheezing. _At least he… it isn't dead._

"Hey. Hey! Are you hurt? Can you move at- Urk!" A gloved hand shot out from the Enforcer's cloak, and strong fingers wrapped around Garrett's throat. There was a moment when time seemed to freeze in its tracks. Garrett stared into the black holes of the mask and for a second thought he could see dim light glinting off of a human eye. The Enforcer seemed to study the boy for a moment before releasing him. **'_Just a Novice. It is no threat.'_** said a dissonant voice that nearly made Garrett jump a foot in the air until he realized that it must be the Enforcer's voice… but Enforcers didn't speak like the rest of the Keepers did. So how the hell was he able to hear them? "You… Just stay here, I'll go get help" Garrett started to stand, but the Enforcer grabbed the hem of his tunic. The movement made the folds of the Enforcer's cloak fall away and revealed a bloody abrasion near his left shoulder. The cloth that would have been covering the wound had been burned away, and the singed and bleeding skin around the deep scrape was a sickly yellow-green, as though the wound had been poisoned. "Oh, _shit_." Breathed Garrett.

'**_I know you can hear me, Novice, so listen carefully.' _**Like a bird before a snake, Garrett was entranced. _**'I cannot finish my task. I have made contact with the other Enforcers, but it may be too late. You must find the Pagan shaman who attacked me and dispatch her before she disrupts the plan.'** _Garrett stared openmouthed at the Enforcer, who was now lying very still. He was just a novice! How was he supposed to 'dispatch' the shaman? He didn't even know where he or she was! _You know how to dispatch a shaman, Garrett. _He did not know how to use the crescent shaped weapon that now hung useless in the Enforcer's hand, but its dagger was still at its waist. Garrett slid the glinting blade out of its sheath and closed his eyes. He listened.

The Enforcer was no longer breathing. The bustle and clatter of the street was loud, but easily ignored. The Hammerites had reached the entrance to Fort Ironwood. One of them was now holding the chalice aloft and expounding the virtues of the Builder. Garrett snorted disdainfully. The Hammerite's leather and iron armor creaked and clanked. _There it was!_ Not far from where he crouched over the fallen Enforcer, Garrett heard a voice. It was barely above a mutter, as though the speaker was merely talking to himself or herself, but Garrett heard it. He slipped out of the alley and moved quickly and silently towards the voice. Always in the shadows, he followed the voice until he saw her. The shaman was crouched low behind two large crates, her crooked yew wand in her outstretched arm, pointed directly at the Hammerite speaker.

Absently thankfully that is was a cloudy, dark evening, Garrett snuck up on the shaman and, with only a second's hesitation, plunged the blade deep into the woman's back, just behind her heart. Just that second was enough for her to turn and see her attacker, and Garrett saw her face as she collapsed. Her eyes grew huge and she opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She stiffened, and her eyes rolled into the back of her head without closing. She went limp and seemed to lean oh so slowly until she fell onto Garrett, blood oozing through her clothes and onto Garrett's hand. He wrenched the dagger out of her back, feeing the blade scrape along her ribs. Like a zombie, Garrett took hold of the body and threw it over his shoulder. He could feel her still-warm blood dripping onto his neck and down his back.

Taking advantage of the fact that most of the people on the street were still listening to the long-winded Hammerite's speech, he jogged over to alley where he had left the Enforcer, only to find himself looking into a blank gray mask. Two Enforcers were now gathered around their comrade's body. A third (who he had almost run into) now deftly took the corpse of the shaman out of Garrett's arms. One of the others lifted the dead Enforcer while the last took Garrett by the arm and lead him after the others.

'_**He killed the Pagan. The novice completed Seventh's task.'**_

'_**Impressive, but how would he have found her, much less Seventh?'**_

'_**He could not have heard Seventh's call. He has not had the Glyph of Telepathy set on him.'**_

'_**That will be addressed later, Third. We will leave it to the Elders.'**_

Throughout this exchange, Garrett kept his eyes riveted to his feet, trying to wince at 'Third's' iron grip on his arm. Only the dead Enforcer had known that Garrett could hear him. Garrett kept quiet all the way back to the Compound's secret Glyph door, a dark sense of dread growing in his mind.


	5. First Blood

Man oh man, I hated that last chapter. It was fun to write action type things, but I'm not generally into super-dark stuff.

Thx much to Bexababe and Mad Juilin. They is my new best friends.

**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter Four: First Blood**

If Artemus were the type who would willingly display his feelings, he would have cried. But he was not, so he did not. Garrett, that incorrigible boy, _his _incorrigible boy, had killed a woman. Now Garrett's own life teetered on a knife blade. He could be expelled from the order, he memory wiped by Glyphs, to live once again as street urchin, but this time with a full two years worth of memories missing, _or_ he could be put be put on trail and executed. For now he was locked in Artemus' study, awaiting his fate. Artemus felt as though he were in a similar position, despite the fact that he was unfettered and in First Keeper Xavier's office along with Second and Third Keepers Orland and Mayar, respectively. One of the Enforcers who were present at the time of the incident was also there, but had been silent throughout the meeting.

"This is… inconceivable." said Xavier. "Our most promising novice… It would be a great shame to simply do away with him. However, the facts cannot be ignored."

"He has risked our discovery, as well as his own balance. After such an act, he cannot be trusted any longer." Said Mayar firmly.

"Nonetheless, his actions were based on our best interests. Perhaps, he is not as far gone as you think." Interjected Artemus, surprised at his own boldness.

"Pardon me for sounding trite" said Orland loudly, "But the road to disaster is paved with good intentions. The boy has killed a woman. Not only is this a crime outside our own walls, but as an act unsanctioned by-"

"Unsanctioned for _him_, perhaps, but we cannot deny that our intention was to slay anyone who might have attempted to take the chalice and there upset the balance within the City's infrastructure." Mayar spoke softly, but his words left a mark. Xavier tapped his index finger against his chin. He stayed with his thoughts for what felt like an age before speaking slowly.

"I suppose… That was our intention, and no matter how unsettling it may be" he glanced at Orland, who frowned, "Garrett did salvage what could have been a cataclysmic disruption of the Balance within the City. Unsanctioned, yes, but much needed. In my personal opinion, the Enforcers themselves could have handled the situation much more skillfully, but they could not have made it in time. Given the circumstances, Garrett did rather well."

"'Rather well'?" repeated Orland incredulously, "He stabbed a woman in the back!"

"As any Enforcer would have done, if they were in a similar setting." Interrupted Artemus.

**_First Keeper Xavier, may I speak?_** all four men flinched visibly at the sound of the Enforcers voice. As Keeper Masters, they all had the Glyph of telepathy cast on them, but none of them were quite used to the strange, metallic harmony of an Enforcers voice.

"You may, Third Enforcer", answered Xavier, peering curiously at the tall, masked figure.

**_The novice called Garrett managed to find the Seventh Enforcer when Seventh's distress call was intended to alert only the other Enforcers. I believe…_** the Enforcer shifted, as though nervous. It was unusual for any Enforcer to enter a thought without the support of its fellows. **_I believe that this Garrett may have been able to hear the call as well. If this is true, than it would be to your advantage to keep him and encourage him to explore this ability as well as any others he may have._**

"To hear and Enforcer without any Glyph abilities is highly unusual." Mayar murmured, as though to himself.

"As am sure we are all aware, Third Keeper Mayar." Snapped Orland, pointedly ignoring the cold stare Mayar was giving him. He adjusted his spectacles and continued "This is all very intriguing, and _perhaps _the fact that Garrett has killed a woman in the interest of the Order can be overlooked, but he did in fact deliberately disobey an order given to him by a Senior Keeper, his own _Mentor_ in factHe cannot go without some sort of discipline." Orland clearly refused to let such gross impropriety go unpunished. Secretly, Artemus agreed with him.

"I will speak to Garrett myself" offered Artemus, low-key as always, "and will devise a suitable punishment."

"Very good." Xavier adjusted the collar of his robe with an air of finality. "Keeper Artemus, I trust that you will see to this in a timely matter, but for now lets us put this dark matter to rest. It is very late, and we are not as young as we used to be. However, I would like to speak with you, Third Enforcer, in private." He gave his fellows a small smile that said clearly 'we're done here'.

Orland, Mayar, and Artemus gave brief nods and left. Mayar immediately dismissed himself and went on towards his quarters, not being one for unofficial conversation. Orland, on the other hand, stopped Artemus with a gesture before he could do the same.

"I think I should make it clear, Artemus, that I do not approve of these proceedings."

"No one said you had to."

Orland scowled. "This is all highly irregular. No matter how… _gifted_ your Garrett may be, he must be held accountable-"

"Orland." Artemus interrupted, "jut because he is talented, or because I am the one issuing punishment does not mean he will go with impunity. This I can do on my own." He finished with a stiff nod, and turned away on his heel, not caring to see the daggers Orland was staring at his retreating figure.

For the sake of his own balance, Artemus forced himself to slow his quick gait and meditate for a moment on the situation. The truth was, Artemus did not like Orland. He could _respect_ him. Orland was a very intelligent man and competent in his work, but he was also stubborn and officious, something that Artemus could not abide. Even as acolytes he and Orland hadn't gotten along. Now, as grown men, they no long argued fiercely like they once did, but rather in a quieter, bureaucratic way. Artemus avoided these pissing matches, for lack of a better term, as best he could. As much as he would have like to shout at Orland, he did know better. Deep in his thoughts, Artemus almost missed the door to his own study. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stave off the looming headache. In his mind, the words _'Migraine'_ and _'Garrett'_ had become inextricably related over the past two years. Taking a deep breath he unlocked the door and went in…

And there was Garrett, seated quietly where Artemus had left him. There was an indolent slouch to his posture, but otherwise the scene was extremely alien. Artemus had been preparing for a tirade over The Unfairness of it All, but Garrett (for once) was silent, almost placid. _He looks like a man on the way to the gallows _thought Artemus idly as he sat down in his desk chair. "Garrett…" he searched for the right words "I think now would be the time to consider yourself _very _lucky." Now it was Garrett's turn to be surprised. His eyes widened like that of a startled cat, and Artemus almost smiled. "First Keeper Xavier has decided to let you pass on this one. That is, he has left the issue of discipline to me." He prepared for the groan, the scowl, the whining… But still none came. It was almost to good to be true. "I believe that an appropriate punishment is confinement to the grounds until further notice. I also will be compiling a list of mission reports that you will read. Once you have read them you will write an overview of each report detailing the events, the outcomes, as well as what was done well and what was done poorly in each mission. Understood?" The tiniest shadow of a grimace graced Garrett's face, but he only nodded and said a dutiful 'Yes, sir'. "Very good. You may go _directly_ to the dormitories now, and I will see you tomorrow _directly_ after your classes, is that clear?" Once again, another 'Yes, sir.' Was issued before Garrett left.

As soon as the door was shut, Artemus slumped in his chair and heaved a great sigh of relief. It reminded him too much of an event when he had been a novice involving an old book and a deep well. The irony was sickening. _Well, at least that's over and done with. That boy had better appreciate this._ Artemus tried to be indignant, but was too late to be faking emotion to one's self. He had not been so strained in a long time, and really, once he thought about it, this wasn't going to be 'over' for a long time. Perhaps it might never end, at least not for Garrett. He knew that what he did was in the best interest of the Keeper way, but he would still have to live with the fact that he had killed a woman. _And he's only just fourteen_ thought Artemus.

* * *

Garrett felt dizzy. It was as though astonishing relief and a nauseating sense of guilt were fighting for domination. He had killed a woman. He had _killed a woman._ Three hours ago he washed human blood off of his hands and back where it had dripped. Where the bright scarlet wetness had been, there were rust colored stains that washed away so easily with a little bit of plain water. He could remember so vividly the feel of it against his skin. It had been _warm_. Garrett felt his throat constrict and he had to lean against the wall for support. She was really _dead_. And yet, here he was, alive, as he had even been. He had gotten off completely _scot-free_. It was almost too ridiculous to fathom. She was gone, dead, perished and here he was, her _murderer_ for Builder's sake, facing the prospect of writing a few papers and hanging around the Compound for a while. _But don't forget_ said and evil little voice _the only reason is because **they** would have killed her, given half the chance. It's what they do._

"Shut up." Garrett said, and jumped at the sound of his own voice. _It's true_ said the little voice. Garrett shook his head to clear it and concentrated on walking down the particularly long flight of stairs that lead from the Master Keepers' quarters to the Dormitories where the Acolytes and Novices slept. _This is stupid._ He thought_ it's over, and there's nothing I can do about it. _With that reassuring thought, he carefully opened the door to the room he shared with Aloysius and two other boys. He took extra care to be silent as he changed into his nightshirt and climbed the short ladder to his bunk, but Aloysius was a light sleeper.

"Where the hell have _you_ been, you little taffer?" Aloysius whispered, craning his neck to look up at Garrett from his own bottom bunk. Garrett stared blankly at his friend and almost spilled the whole story. Far off, he could hear the Clock Tower chime the hour. It was very late… or very early, depending on how you looked at it.

"Nowhere." Garrett answered finally and climbed into bed. Aloysius sighed exasperatedly but didn't ask again.

Some floors below them, a woman named Caduca examined the Glyph text she was reading and frowned.


	6. Of Stalkers and Strange Blondes

Me? Bitter about tedious Lit and Comp assignments? Never. No. Surely not.

**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter 5- Of Stalkers and Strange Blondes**

Garrett drew in a shaky breath and forced himself to focus. Any strange behavior could alert Aloysius, and Garrett had had quite enough of Aloysius' questions for a while, thank you very much. He glanced quickly at his friend over the book of mission reports he was reading. Aloysius was sucking on the end of his quill; completely absorbed in the essay he was writing, oblivious to the other Keepers in the library. _Lucky little taffer_ he thought. Garrett tried to continue reading, but he just couldn't, not with _them_ hanging around. There were two Enforcers in the library, one of them he could see, wandering in and out of the rows of shelves, as though looking for a book. The other was nowhere to be seen. They had done nothing to bother Garrett. They hadn't even looked at him, but just knowing that they were close by was enough to grate on his nerves. _Either I'm just getting paranoid_ Garrett though ruefully _or these creeps are following me_. It was as though they were _everywhere_. True, the Enforcers had free run of the Compound, but Garrett had never been as aware of them before the whole incident with the Shaman. Garrett forced the thought out of his head. Just thinking about that night made his insides go cold. He just wanted to forget about the whole thing, but that was bloody impossible with those stupid Enforcers around. Not to mention those stupid mission reports.

It defied reasonable thinking that anything so exciting as a Keeper Mission to Karath Din could be so mind-bogglingly boring on paper. Dry, methodical descriptions of terrain and navigation through the underground city took up pages. More than once Garrett found himself reading the same paragraph over and over again without realizing it. Hell, even the hand-written script was boring. The meticulous copperplate ink strokes laughed at Garrett, the spidery lines forming words and sentences that made perfect sense, yet were unintelligible in their snobby, monotonous language. _Oh, get over it. You could be dealing with something a lot worse for what you did, taffer._ Said Garrett's Voice of Reason. He hated that voice, but trudged on through the literary quagmire anyway.

"This _sucks_." He grumbled, reverting back to the slang of his youth.

"Really?" said Aloysius without looking up from his essay "I'd say it inhales vigorously, myself."

"Shut up."

Aloysius smirked. "Come off it. It's really not as bad as you think it is."

"Oh really?" Garrett asked, raising his eyebrows. Aloysius grabbed the book with a snort, took one look at the page and grimaced.

"Never mind. You win."

"When will you learn that I'm always right?" Garrett sighed, feigning exasperation.

"Ha ha. Whatever, you have my condolences. I'm not sure that…" Aloysius leaned over to glance at the page Garrett was reading "_'psittaceous'_ is even a real word. How many more of these do you have to do after this one?"

"Just three more" Garrett sighed.

"_Damn._" Aloysius breathed "You've done three already. I can't believe Keeper Master Artemus is making you do these just because you gassed a vendor. I mean, it was an accident, right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah." Garrett turned his eyes back to his book in favor of meeting Aloysius' eyes. His friend made a consoling noise and went back to his essay. Garrett made one last valiant stab at finishing the mission report before snapping the book shut. He needed a break, if only for five minutes. He stretched and leaned his chair back, making a loud creak that earned him a disapproving look from the librarian on duty. Hazy golden sunlight streamed in through the high, circular windows of the library. Motes of dust glittered in the radiance and the occasional fly zipped through like a shooting star. Hot, heady summer was coming to a close, but it's death throes left the large space feeling warm and comfortable. Garrett leaned his cheek on his hand and closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the peace. The relative chaos of his early life had given him a healthy appreciation for quiet and solitude, even if the solitude existed only behind his closed eyelids.

_**-There's no proof, Third.**_

_**You want proof? How do you expl-**_

The voice rang through Garrett's mind like an iron bell, forcing him from his reverie. As mush as he hated it, he knew that voice. It was the voice of an Enforcer. Being as discreet as he could, Garrett turned his head this way and that, until he caught sight of one of the Enforcers. The one that had been perusing the shelves was still there, about 30 feet to Garrett's left, idly flipping through a large tome. Intuitively, Garrett knew the voice hadn't come from that one. The second Enforcer was still out of sight, but Garrett knew it was still nearby. He and Aloysius were seated at a table close to the large, arched entryway to the library, and neither of the Enforcer's could have left without Garrett noticing. _It must be on one of the upper levels_, he thought. He slowly raised his eyes to the second and third floor balconies that overlooked the main floor of the library, but still saw no one. _That's the one that must have spoken last. I don't know how I know, I just know._ He listened again. He could have heard a pin drop with his acute hearing, but there were no more voices. He pondered this for a moment. He had been in a semi-relaxed state when he heard the first voice, and it seemed like he had heard only a small snippet of a conversation. Perhaps if he tried again... He slowed his breathing and closed his eyes again, listening to the utter quiet. For a moment, there was nothing but the usual sounds until…

_**-Believe it when I see it for myself.**_

**_You're so stubborn, Ninth. I saw it, Fifth saw it, and Second saw it…_**

_**You saw he discovered Seventh's body, and you knew that he knew of the mission beforehand. He might have just found Seventh by coincidence and finished the mission on his own prerogative.**_

_That one there,_ _by the bookshelves is Ninth._ Garrett opened his eyes slightly and allowed himself a quick peek at Ninth._ Third is on the second level. _The information he needed came seemingly from a stream of consciousness stretched between him, Ninth, and Third like a silver thread. It was invisible, but Garrett could feel it out in his head. The sensation was so…foreign, it scared Garrett a little. His head felt… buzzy, like there was a hive of bees inside his skull. It made him twitchy. He tried to focus harder, 'grasping' the thread and giving it a mental tug.

**_What was that! _**Ninth said, jerking around.

_**Did you feel it? **_

Panicking, Garrett opened his eyes and forced the thread away.

"Garrett?" Garrett jumped and stared at Aloysius, who was standing over him and giving him a strange look. "Garrett? What's the matter? You're all white."

"Nothing" Garrett answered quickly, "I just, um, fell asleep for a second."

"Huh. Well, hurry up, or we're going to be late getting to the Practice Yard." Aloysius shouldered his satchel, and motioned for Garrett to do the same. Garrett swung his bag over his shoulder and hurried after his friend, trying to ignore the way Ninth's mask seemed to follow him as he rushed out of the library.

* * *

"Concentrate, boy! I've never seen you with such a poor mind for sparring!" Garrett winced as Keeper Master Duncan berated him. True, his mind wasn't so much on the wooden practice sword in his hand as it was checking to see if any Enforcers were about. He couldn't find any so far, and the rational side of his mind kept telling him it would be extremely unlikely to see an Enforcer in the Practice Yard, seeing as they had a private courtyard, away from the distractions of Novices and Acolytes running around. But still, the episode in the library had left him wary. His eyes flitted around the yard once more, still seeing no masked Enforcers. Relieved for the moment, he faced his opponent; another Novice named Ferris. Ferris was a mediocre swordsman, priding himself rather on his skill with a bow staff, but so far he had managed to beat Garrett twice. Keeper Duncan, who recognized talent when he saw it, was surprised and disappointed with Garrett performance. "Well, get back in there and do it again!" he growled at the dark haired boy. Grimacing, Garrett stepped back into the sparring ring.

The two boys circled each other, their swords raised. The smug look on Ferris' face turned Garrett's stomach so much he wanted to give him a good whack with the flat side of the weighted, wooden sword, but held back. If Artemus had taught him anything, it was how to concentrate. Garrett grit his teeth and compelled his breathing to a slower pace. Ferris' defense on his left always had a hole. Garrett feigned a high left strike. Ferris raised his arm to block and Garrett made a quick slash to his left side. Ferris saw the change in direction, however, and dodged the blow. He struck low, but Garrett quickly blocked and forced Ferris backwards, making him lose his bearings. Taking advantage of Ferris' lost balance; Garrett made a fast move and struck Ferris hard in the ribs with the edge of his blade. Ferris yelped and fell on his backside. Keeper Duncan clapped his hands and twice, signaling an end to the match. The few Novices resting at the edge of the cobbled ring applauded. The burly, older man offered a hand Ferris and pulled him. "Ferris, you take a breather. I'm gonna work with you on that half-assed defense of yours." Ferris walked off, grumbling and rubbing his ribs. "As for you Garrett, that was a fine piece of work there, but you need to be able to pull that off every time and not get distracted like before, got it? Good. You go over and work on your archery. I want to see some quality work over there." Garrett nodded quickly and jogged over to the weapons stand.

He set his sword in its stand and selected a short bow and a quiver from the rack. He was fitting a string to the bow when Aloysius trudged over and offered him a water skin. Garrett took a swig and raised his eyebrows at his panting friend.

"Duncan have you running laps or something?" He asked.

"Yes" Aloysius admitted through his gasps "I'll admit it: I'm no athlete. That's your job."

"You only just noticed?" Garrett snorted, earning him a glare from the red head. He put up his hands in a gesture of 'just kidding' and gave Aloysius the water skin. He took a long drink and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Garrett raised a brow. Highborn, cultured Aloysius using his sleeve as a kerchief? He really must have been tired. "Eh, come on. Archery doesn't require running." Looking exceedingly relieved, Aloysius picked a bow and strung it before following Garrett to the row of targets at the far end of the yard. They practiced in a companionable silence for a while. Garrett liked archery. It wasn't something he had to concentrate very hard on, but rather just let his hands and eyes do the work while his mind wandered. It was a warm day, so his thoughts drifted lazily away from the mess with the Enforcers and rested on the balmy sunlight and the feel of the bowstring stretched taut under his fingers.

"Hey, can I borrow and arrow?" said a voice that was definitely not Aloysius'.

"Huh?" Garrett turned to his right to see a pair of cobalt eyes looking starkly into his gray ones. He started a little and eyed the speaker.

"An arrow. Can I borrow one?" she repeated.

"Uh, sure." He said quickly, and handed her one from his quiver. She said a quick thank you and turned to her own target. Garrett pretended to fix the lacing on his wrist guard and studied her surreptitiously. She was a girl about his age, maybe a year or so older with a pretty, impish face and white-blond hair. He recognized her from the meal hall, but, as a rule, boys and girls didn't mix much until they reached the Acolyte rank when they turned 16. He wondered why she was here instead of with one of the girls' classes. He wanted to ask her name, but his voice caught and died a pitiful death in his throat and he made himself continue with his practicing. She fired her borrowed arrow, which hit a bit above center. _A good shot_ Garrett thought. She bit her lip disapprovingly and retrieved the arrow. She handed it back to Garrett with a nod and trotted over to the weapon rack. Garrett quickly realized he was gaping and quickly fired an arrow to make himself focus. His arrow struck one of the outer rings of the target. Garrett scowled at Aloysius' mocking laughter and went to gather up his arrows as Duncan bellowed for the students to clean up and head for lunch.

* * *

Holy smokes! Puberty is finally catching up with our hero! What shall he do? _What shall he do?_

If you're freaked out about the introduction of a female playing opposite Garrett, have no fear. I ain't the flowers and candy kind of girl, so this ain't a flowers and candy fanfic. So there. Nyah nyah nyah!


	7. Nuala

Fun fact time! I looked up the name 'Garrett' and found it is a Gaelic/Celtic name meaning 'To watch', so I'm shooting for all the OC's names to be of that same origin, but you can look them up for yourself. Nyah nyah. I know I have been very lazy with updating, but hopefully I can catch up on school so I can write more.

To Gogu the Great: You rock my socks off.

**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter Six- Nuala**

Artemus was not one to believe in luck, but he was willing to make a small concession when it came to Garrett and literacy. When the boy first arrived, he was illiterate, save for a small collection of words and letters he learned from twelve year's staring at shop signs. Still wary of his new situation in life, not to mention naturally stubborn, teaching him to read had been something of a struggle. Artemus considered it _lucky_ that Garrett turned out as a good a writer as he was. He flipped through one of Garrett's mission report summaries over the midday meal, the side of his mouth twitching with the soul of a grin at the snide comments hidden here and there, blithely insulting not only the mission's enactment, but the intelligence of the original writer as well. He carefully set the paper aside and moved his food around his plate with his fork, half listening to Keeper Master Eilis.

"The Hammerites are determined to get rid of the place. They're pushing the City Council quite hard to get the demolition rights." She said.

"Who could blame them?" replied Duncan, who was sitting to Artemus' right side "The place is old, ugly, and there are those _rumors._" he wiggled his eyebrows for effect.

"Most of the citizens dismiss it as nonsense, thank goodness." Interjected Eilis "If anyone really knew what went on in that place, all sorts of misguided adventurers would be wandering in there. It's bad enough that all those wild stories about the Tallow Man murders flying around."

"Indeed." Agreed Artemus distractedly, his eyes roving the room for that highly visible redhead that Garrett went nearly everywhere with.

"Huh." Snorted Duncan "But they'll never succeed. Not with that Ramirez around. He's too intent on gaining the property for himself. Idiot."

"They'll pigeonhole the whole deal before long, mark my words. It'll get too complicated." Said Eilis. "A good thing too. Whatever's holed up in the Shalebridge Cradle should be left as it is."

Artemus nodded vaguely, a gesture familiar to his colleagues. Eilis returned her attention to her plate, but Duncan peered hard at the silent man. Artemus gave him a flickering glance, before continuing to look for Garrett or his friend, Aloysius. Duncan followed his gaze and his sight landed on the two boys. Aloysius was animatedly telling a story that had several of the students letting loose peals of laughter. Next to him, Garrett laughed politely, but seemed rather distracted, and kept looking over his shoulder and around the dining hall.

"Artemus" Duncan started cautiously "You are going to mentoring young mister Garrett once he comes of age, correct?"

"Yes, when he becomes an Acolyte." Artemus answered, pulling out of his reverie.

"Going to put him through the general Scribe training or have him specialize in something?"

"I suppose. I can only put him on the path. Where he chooses to end up is his choice." Stated Artemus, cryptic as usual.

"Huh. Well, he's, ah…" Duncan gestured loosely with his fork.

"Yes?" Artemus tried to glean a response from Duncan's mumblings.

"He's… Well, Artemus, I won't mince words. Our boy Garrett is one of the finest students I've ever had. He's got the patience and raw talent it takes to be an expert swordsman and archer. His work with a bow staff is sloppy, but even his 'bad' work is high caliber stuff."

"So I have been told." Artemus said, unable to keep a hint of pride out of his voice. He had spent hours coaching Garrett on his fencing technique during that first year.

"I'm sure you have." Duncan let forth a weathered grin before he continued, his voice and eyes darker, "We do live in close quarters here, so I suppose you've also heard that young Garrett's talents have been attracting some attention as of late."

"Beg Pardon?"

"Oh, to hell with being subtle. That's your bag. What I'm saying, Artemus, is that… one of the Enforcers approached me the other day and asked a fair few questions about Garrett."

"What kind of questions?" Artemus instinctively lowered his voice, as all Keepers did when the subject of the Enforcers was broached. It was practically taboo.

"Nothing really important. Just how old he was, how far along in training he was, when he would come of age. Pretty innocuous things. The strange thing is, the Enforcers never come down to the practice yard unless they're scoping out new recruits. Plus they do have an empty slot, seeing as one of them died on that last mission."

"Duncan, I appreciate your concern" Artemus said, waving worry away with a hand "But Garrett has only just turned _fourteen_. True, there have been talks of graduating him to Acolyte status a year early, seeing as he is so advanced in his studies, but even an Acolyte wouldn't begin Enforcer training until they are at least seventeen. Surely they would not want to recruit one so young?"

"True, true." Conceded Duncan "I'm just saying maybe you should keep an ear open for any further news on it, and I'm sure Garrett would want to know."

_I think he already does_ thought Artemus, as, out of the corner of his eye, we watched Garrett jump as the black figure of an Enforcer entered the dining hall.

**Meanwhile...**

"What's the matter with you?" Aloysius demanded as Garrett bent to pick up his spoon for what had to be the fifth time. "You've been really jittery all day. Too much coffee this morning?"

"Nah, it's just, ah, those stupid essays have got me worrying. I've still got three to go." Garrett said absently.

"You've little to worry about. Artemus will give you a bit of extra time if you ask him."

"I wish. He's worse than the Hammers in that respect."

"Tch, he's better then Isolde- Garrett?" Aloysius peered at his friend concernedly. One moment he looked totally normal, and the next, he flinched and turned as white as a ghost. "Garrett, is something the matter?"

"It's nothing." Garrett answered quickly, trying to retain his composure even though his voice cracked in the middle of the word 'nothing', causing some of the other students to snicker. "I, uh… I forgot something in my room. Be right back." Garrett shot up and scrambled to grab his satchel and nearly dashed out of the Meal Hall. On his way out, he noticed Aloysius' quizzical look, as well as Artemus eyeing him surreptitiously from the adults' table. He turned with the intention of hiding up in his dorm room until lunchtime was over, but he ran into something very solid. And very blonde.

"Ouch. Sorry." It was the girl from archery practice. She tossed her fringe out of her eyes and stood up. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, it was me." Garrett said quickly when she offered him a hand up. He took it and immediately took note of how warm her hands were. "I-I was in a hurry."

"Yeah, well… sorry anyway." The girl said, and made to step around Garrett, who realized he was standing in the middle of the hall with all of his books spilled out at his feet. He stooped to pick them up, trying to hide his chagrin. She helped fit his books into his satchel. "Uh, goodbye." She added with shrug.

"Oh, uh, what's your name?" Garrett asked on impulse.

"Oh, it's Nuala. What's yours?"

"I'm Garrett."

"Oh, right. I've seen you, um, around."

"Well… bye then." Garrett quickly turned on his heel, wondering why the hell his face felt so hot. He shook his head and dropped all thoughts of … Nuala… from his head without ceremony. He had a bigger problem. The Enforcers _never_ came down to the meal hall. They ate… well who knows where they ate… or _if _they ate. Garrett was almost certain they were stalking him now. But why? To make sure he stayed out of trouble and didn't mess anything up? A rush of hot anger flooded his chest and he tossed his satchel roughly to the floor of his dorm and slammed the door. What did they think he was, some kind of little kid? Did they think just because he screwed up once that he was going to keep ruining everything for everyone else? True, that had been a damn big mistake, but it had been done in the heat of the moment, when he wasn't thinking straight. It ate at him to think he was being monitored. He flopped down on his bed with a huff. This was ridiculous. True, he hated being tailed by those creepy bastards, but he couldn't keep ducking out of rooms at odd moments. Aloysius already suspected something was up, and Garrett didn't favor the idea of answering awkward questions. Even if he couldn't hide from the Enforcers, he had to think of a way to keep them from sneaking up on him. But he wasn't omniscient, and he couldn't read minds… _Wait a second_, he thought. An idea flared like a bonfire in his mind.

Slowly he closed his eyes and let all meandering thoughts leave his conscious mind, looking for that bright thread… _there it was_. Garrett very lightly 'touched' the thread, and, in a rush so fast it made his stomach do a back flip, he knew. He let go of the thread hastily. His head… tingled, like every hair was lightening rod. He rubbed his temples, trying to sort through this new swamp of information.

So, he could use his… ability to locate the Enforcers. Not explicitly, but rather how physically close they were to him. He knew he could not do more than barely tap the Thread, seeing as all the Enforcers were connected through the glyphs, and would notice a newcomer. He had learned that much in the library earlier that morning. Still, it served his purpose. However, he couldn't help but notice… how was it that he could do this? No one else could. True, all _fully initiated_ Keepers had a telepathy Glyph set on them, but in such a way they could only hear an Enforcer if they were 'invited', and they couldn't speak with telepathy. Garrett hadn't tried to speak, and he didn't want to. The less he had to do with Enforcers and their esoteric magic, the better.


	8. Attachments

That's right! I'm back bizchez! School and a lot of moving around may have held sway over my brain for months on end, but NO MORE! So, here it is! The long awaited (harharhar) seventh chapter!

Fun facts!

1) Nuala is pronounced NOO-luh.

2) Chapters 2-6 takes place between Mid May and late June-ish. This chapter takes place in late November, so think Wintery thoughts.

* * *

**Stillness by Strati AKA Faetis**

**Chapter Seven- Attachments**

"For heaven's sake Garrett, you could at the very least try to make yourself presentable!" Keeper Isolde hissed. Garrett sighed and tried to flatten his dark hair, which was, as per usual, everywhere. Somewhere down the line of nervous inductees, he could hear Aloysius stifle a snicker. Garrett scowled. Not that he would ever admit it, but he was nervous. More nervous than the situation had any right to make him. Despite the fact that he was among fifteen other students who were about to be put through the same Induction Ceremony, despite the fact that they were all dressed more or less identically, despite the fact that Isolde had run them through the itinerary of the ritual several times… He felt as if there were a very bright, very hot light shining directly on him. He shut his eyes briefly and breathed deeply a few times, like Artemus had taught him. His nerves settled a little, allowing him to concentrate on what he was about to do.

Tentatively, he reached for the bright thread in his mind and gave it a tiny tap. All fourteen Enforcers were very close. In the very next room, to be exact. It had been getting easier and easier to access the thread, and the Enforcers never seemed to notice his presence in their mental network… or if they did, they gave no sign. _No. Not thinking about that._ Garrett mentally chastised himself. He had spent the last six months waiting for this day, and he wasn't about to let the Creeping Horrors ruin it for him. He was safely fifteen years old and, after much deliberation on the part of Second Keeper Orland, he was going to be promoted to Acolyte status a year early. He couldn't resist feeling very pleased with himself. Of course, Artemus had lectured him about getting a swollen head, but he chose not to think about that either.

"Alright!" Isolde clapping her hands loudly for attention. The inductees stopped their shifting and chattering, and listened. "Now," she continued, "We have been through the ceremony, you all know what to do. There will be no _deviations_, understood? This is a very important day in your lives as Keepers. From this day forth you will be treated as adults. Thus, you are expected to _act accordingly_, yes?" There was a general murmur of consent and Isolde gave a sharp nod of approval. "Very good. Now, if you will follow me in a silent, single file line into the Library, we will begin the Ceremony."

"So much for being treated like adults" muttered someone. Garrett glanced over his shoulder to see Sebastian Holter looking smug. He also caught a glimpse of that girl, Nuala. Perhaps it was because he knew who she was now, but it seemed that she, like the Enforcers, was around every corner. Garrett might have dwelled on this thought, but Isolde was waving him into the Forbidden Library.

Garrett had been inside the Forbidden Library on a few occasions (with Artemus, or course), but the shear magnitude and atmosphere of the room never failed to make an impression on him. It was a huge, domed chamber, several stories high. The upper levels could be reached by any one of the labyrinthine stone staircases, and were one to stand in the center of the bottommost story and looked strait up, they could see the many criss-crossing walkways that ran from one side of each floor to the other. The structure of the Library made it somewhat difficult to light consistently, so it was always full of flickers and shadows. It also had an unsettling effect of echoing even the tiniest whisper. Garrett often wondered if the ancient Keeper architects had made the place that creepy on purpose. At least a good two-thirds of the Keepers had turned out for the initiation ceremony, so the walkways and overhanging balconies were lined with whispering, cloaked figures. Garrett couldn't help but think of a beehive.

On the bottom floor, First Keeper Xavier stood cradling a heavy tome in his arms, looking over the initiates with some pride in his old eyes. A few paces behind him stood Mayar and Orland as well as the Mentors of the new Acolytes. Garrett tried to pick Artemus out of the small crowd of flickering shadows, but he couldn't see his face in the dark. He could see, however, the white glint of an Enforcer's mask, somewhere behind the group of Mentors. He was beginning to feel a little ill. Garrett had never been good at being in the limelight, and knowing that fourteen sets of blank, black eyeholes were staring at him didn't help the matter. Nevertheless, he clenched and unclenched his fists slowly. _If this is the most difficult thing you ever have to do_ he thought firmly _you can count your life an easy one._

For a 'very important day in his life as a Keeper', Garret honestly would not remember a great deal of the ceremony. He would remember that Keeper Xavier made one of what he personally called 'Stock Speeches'; a long and boring litany based on a trite theme that was hammered again and again into the listener's brain. He would also vaguely recall the Water Ritual, which consisted of Xavier dipping his fingers into a stone basin of blessed water and placing a drop beneath each of the initiates' eyes. Garrett would not recall the Words of Power Spoken or the Glyphs sited, nor would he be able to remember the blessing that Xavier made over his head. What Garrett would remember quite vividly about the ceremony was a strange feeling twitching at the back of his mind. He stole a glance over at Aloysius, then at Sebastian Holter, and even at Nuala. They all had this peculiar countenance of… awe, as if they could feel the power if the Glyphs in their very souls. Garrett tried to feel the power and significance of the Glyphs and rites, he really did, but all he could feel was a great, big… nothing. Only an odd distaste and coldness for everything going on around him, but he could not fathom why.

* * *

Watching from the semi-darkness, Artemus kept his eyes trained on Garrett's face. For someone who put up a facade of stoicism, Garrett's emotions were very clear as they passed over his young face. First there was hint of nervousness, then boredom, then something akin to brooding aversion. Artemus had seen that look before, but he couldn't quite remember where. Artemus allowed himself a smile; despite whatever Garrett may have thought, today really was good day. Artemus had seen the promise in the boy the day he met him. Now that Garrett had achieved Acolyte status, he could truly hone his skills as a Keeper. He had so much potential, if only he could commit himself to his studies. Artemus repressed a sigh. Garrett was very bright for his age; his marks were impeccable and, more importantly, he was able to grasp and understand concepts that most Acolytes didn't begin to comprehends until well into their specialized training. However… part of Garrett would always be that ferial child Artemus had brought in from the streets. Though he had matured remarkably since that first year and even more so since the unfortunate event with the Shaman, there was an unreachable wildness about the boy that worried Artemus. Some otherness that set him apart.

Artemus gave himself a metal shake. This was not the time to be thinking about such things. Garrett was very young, and had a lot more maturing and changing to do. Artemus knew that he had an unfortunate tendency to expect the worse, but today was a good day. Too good of a day to be harboring unsettling thoughts. As the ceremony ended, he applauded along with the rest of the Keepers. As the clapping died down and people started to file out of the Library, Artemus started towards Garrett's side, intending to offer his congratulations. He didn't get very far, however, as an Enforcer laid a gloved hand lightly on his shoulder. He forced himself to keep from flinching, and turned to look the Enforcer (Third, he thought, but it was difficult to tell) in its blank, black eyeholes.

_**Keeper Master Artemus**_, it said, _**may**__**I speak with you for a moment?**_

"Of course" murmured Artemus, hoping beyond hope that his uneasiness didn't show. The Enforcer gave a quick nod before it swept off, clearly intending for Artemus to follow. Artemus hurried after it, up three staircases and into a private study room. Feeling his age more than ever, Artemus steadied his breathing and examined the little study and the people in it. There was the Enforcer he had followed, plus two more standing rigidly in a corner. Artemus failed to suppress a tendril of nervousness that unfurled in his gut. This was highly unusual for the Enforcers. In fact, they rarely spoke with anyone besides Xavier. For them to be holding clandestine meetings was thoroughly bizarre. Though his face was carefully schooled into an expression of attentive distance, Artemus's mind was spinning. He though for the first time in some weeks of what Duncan had told him about the Enforcers in the training yards.

_**Ninth**_, said Third, its discordant voice shaking him out of his thoughts, _**we didn't think you'd be coming**_. It took Artemus a moment to realize that Third was speaking to one of the other Enforcers.

_**I am only here, Third**_, answered the one called Ninth, folding its arms across its chest, _**to observe**_. It seemed to Artemus that if an Enforcer's voice could show emotion, Ninth and Third would have sounded strained. Third seemed to make a dismissive gesture, but Artemus could not see. Suddenly Third turned to face Artemus.

_**Keeper Master Artemus**_, it said, _**we wish to speak with you on matter concerning the Novice Garrett. **_Artemus nodded. He had suspected this, but had hoped in vain that the Enforcers would not come directly to him to talk about Garrett.

_**Garrett is an acolyte now, yes?**_ Asked the third, heretofore silent Enforcer. Artemus was almost certain that it was the Twelfth Enforcer.

"He is." Answered Artemus, "He is only fifteen, but First Keeper Xavier thought it would be wise to promote him a year early."

_**We know, that is why we wish to speak with you. Keeper Master Artemus, are you fully aware of the events that transpired on May the sixteenth?**_

Artemus nodded.

_**Then we are sure you are aware that Garrett was able to locate the body of Seventh under… strange circumstances. **_

Again, Artemus nodded, feeling more and more uneasy.

_**We believe that Garrett found Seventh**_… here Third paused and looked back at its still, silent fellows before continuing. _**We believe that Garrett has somehow come to hear us without the Glyph of Telepathy.**_ Suddenly, Ninth cut in.

_**You may believe that, Third, but do not think that the rest of us buy into your speculations.**_

_**You say that, Ninth, but we have not heard any theories from you or Fifth that could explain what happened beyond 'it was just a coincidence'.**_ Snapped Twelfth, if Enforcer's could snap.

Artemus felt more than ever that he shouldn't be there. Enforcer's weren't supposed to bicker like this, they were supposed to be a single, self contained unit that behaved more like one mind in many bodies than an actual set of different people. They were supposed to… inwardly, Artemus grimaced. _If training Garrett has taught me one thing, it's that 'supposed to' holds very little sway. _

There was a stony silence between the three Enforcers, before Third spoke again.

_**Keeper Master Artemus, some of us believe that Garrett possesses the Glyph of telepathy naturally. That is, when Seventh sent out a distress call, Garrett was near enough and in enough of a receptive state that he somehow… triggered the ability to hear us. Over the past five and a half months, we have been able to sense him through the Glyph. It has been very faint, but we know that he has been listening to us. We think that he may be… useful to us.**_

"Please," said Artemus after a moment, "Garrett is a gifted child, but he is far too young to begin any kind of Enforcer training." Here Third made a gesture, as though to interrupt Artemus, but he continued, choosing his words carefully. "He is too young, but I will… keep this in mind. I will speak to the boy. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to. Good day."

Artemus left the Enforcers as fast as he could without appearing like he was running from them, even though he was. He did not stop, not even to nod respectfully at Third Keeper Mayar as he passed him, until he had reached the privacy of his study. He hastily entered and locked the door behind him. Only then did he allow himself to release the breath that he had been holding since he left the Enforcer.

Artemus was a pragmatist. He did not allow himself to get attached, he did not allow his emotions to overtake his rational mind, and above all he never lied to himself. So, he did not permit himself to banish the thought that he did not like the Enforcers. He had not liked them when the office of _Enforcer_ was first created when he was a young novice, and he certainly did not like them as a Master. The very idea of keeping them around contradicted the code of noninvolvement that was the basis of the Keeper ideology. They were assassins… killers. Though Artemus felt little compassion for those who ended up on the sharp end of an Enforcer's blade, he felt that killing was about as involved as one could get.

Artemus sighed and sank down into his desk chair, resting his head in his hands. He would never lie to himself, not ever. He was losing his balance. He was becoming attached. He knew this and he knew that as a Keeper, he should extricate it from his system as quickly as possible… but the thought of Garrett disappearing behind the cold, metal mask of an Enforcer made his blood run cold in his veins.

He could feel another migraine coming on…

* * *

Yay! This chapter has been lurking unfinished on my hard drive for who knows how long.

So, school lets out for the summer in about a week, so keep an eye out for updates over the coming month!

One more thing, NEVER FEAR. Any romance that may or may not occur between Nuala and Garrett will be kept to a minimum… if there will be any romance, that is. I'm not telling.


	9. In Dreams and Wakefulness

Holy Crap! It's an update!

**Chapter Eight- In Dreams and Wakefulness**

There was a kink forming between his shoulder blades and an insistent, nagging twitch in his eyelids. _I'm getting too old for this_, Artemus thought, straightening for a moment in his chair, wincing when he felt his spine pop. He had been combing through complicated, lengthy texts since early that morning, and now, many hours later, he was both exhausted and no closer to reaching his goal than he had been when he first started. As far as he could tell, he had picked through every single book on the Enforcers and the Telepathy Glyph in the library. While information on both subjects was scarce, any mention of either usually involved mind-boggling analyzations and descriptions of the glyphs involved. Artemus had examined every passage, every passing mention of the telepathy glyph, yet found almost nothing useful. All he had found out was that the Glyph of Telepathy was an exceptionally complicated and powerful piece of magic and that it came in two forms: the Limited Form and the Master Form. The Limited Form was cast upon all Keeper Masters upon their initiation and could only be used to 'listen' to telepathic 'speech', and even that was only possible if a connection was made by someone bearing the Master Form. The Master Form of the Telepathy Glyph was only cast on Enforcers and the First Keeper. While some, less complex Glyphs did occasionally appear on their own, Artemus could find no mention in any of the books of the Telepathy Glyph occurring naturally. He rubbed his temples out of habit.

When the Third Enforcer had voiced its concerns during the meeting with Xavier, Mayar, Orland, and himself some months earlier, Artemus had been skeptical. Garrett was a very gifted boy and it was not completely illogical to think that he had discovered the injured Seventh Enforcer on his own and had been able to deduce what needed to be done from that. But to be pulled aside by not just one Enforcer, but three, without the knowledge or consent of any of the other Keeper Masters… it had unnerved him and he was seized with the desire to _know_.

"This is absurd." he muttered to himself. He was, as Keeper Duncan so aptly put it, bone tired. He was already aware of the fact that it was simply not possible for the Telepathy Glyph to just _be_, and he had just spent nigh on five hours studying what he already knew… and yet…

Garrett was just… different, somehow. It was easy to consider the simple facts laid out in books, but when Artemus inserted his young charge into the equation… suddenly it didn't seem so impossible. He knew Garrett had special abilities. He had known it the very first time he had seen the boy. It had only been a little more than two years… yet somehow it seemed like it had happened so very, very long ago…

_Artemus kept close to the shadows as he hurried back to the compound. He had just received a rather delicate piece of information regarding a rising sect in the City's already crowded stable of 'secret' societies; a group of thieves that called themselves the 'downwinders'. They were probably not terribly important to the City's balance, but it never hurt to err on the side of caution. Thus, it had been Artemus, who had always excelled in the art of stealth and reconnaissance, who was selected to intercept a letter that First Keeper Xavier suspected might contain vital information regarding the inner workings of this so-called 'guild'. It was not a difficult mission, and Artemus had successfully plucked the note right out of the purse of the man who carried it. Now the only thing left to do was to deliver the thing to Xavier and wait for further instruction. Artemus checked the pouch on his belt, just to be absolutely sure he was still in possession of the letter, before quickening his pace. _

_Allowing the old training that had been drilled into him as a student to take over, he darted from shadow to shadow, barely even disturbing the air around him as he moved with a grace and skill born of years of diligent practice. An ordinary citizen passing on the street would not have seen him even if he walked right in front of their very noses. Even a very observant person would only have been able to detect the slightest flicker of movement, one that could easily be mistaken for the shadow of a bird or a simple trick of the light. Artemus allowed himself a tiny smile. He was in his element._

_Then he felt it. The lightest of tugs on the strings of the pouch, and he whirled around, catching the wrist of the would-be-pickpocket in the blink of an eye._

"_That's not for you." He said in a low voice that was meant to intimidate._

_The thief was a young boy; a street urchin, judging by the state of his appearance. He was achingly thin, wearing the shabby hand-me-downs of hand-me-downs that hung off his skinny frame like the tattered rags of a scarecrow. His face was smudged with several varieties of filth, and his dirty, choppy hair stuck out behind his ears. His eyes, though, were a particularly light-catching shade of blue-gray that stared out at Artemus with both paralyzed terror and intense curiosity._

_The boy babbled wildly out of fear. He was begging Artemus not to turn him into the fanatic Hammerites, but Artemus wasn't fully listening. Not only has this… this __**child**__ been able to see him while he was at his most stealthy, he had actually been able to sneak up on him. It was simply incredible. It was tantamount to a first-time player beating the most skillful gambler at his own game._

"_What is your name, boy?" He interrupted the boy mid-plea. _

"_Garrett." __**An old name, meaning 'The Watchful One'. How fitting**__, thought Artemus. It was an opportunity to valuable to pass up._

"_You have talent, lad." But the boy, Garrett, was too frightened by the cloaked stranger and tried to jerk his wrist out of Artemus's grip._

"_Let go of me, old man!" he snarled, clawing at the hand the held him in place._

"_To see a Keeper is not an easy thing, especially one who does not wish to be seen. We have a need for those as gifted as yourself. If you've grown tired of how you live, then follow me." Artemus released the boy's wrist and turned to go, hoping that he would follow. He had purposefully made the offer promising enough to entice, but vague enough to keep his own tracks covered in case the boy should, but not following, refuse. Deep down, Artemus held his breath, hoping against hope that the boy would follow. Whether the child knew it or not, he was a rare and precious find for the Keepers. One who was not just intelligent and able to learn quickly, but one who was innately adept. A child of the shadows._

_Artemus could not resist a grin when he heard the swift, but quiet, patter of footsteps behind him._

With a small jerk Artemus awoke and realized that he had been dozing, lost in his own memories. Remembering Garrett the Street Urchin, he frowned. In many ways, Garrett was still that wild boy. Perhaps part of him always would be… or maybe not. Artemus, too, had once been brash and impatient; a stubborn, often hot-tempered young man that had caused his own mentor, a man by the name of Quinn, a lot of grief. But Quinn was a good teacher and, with his characteristic perseverance, had managed to pull the young Artemus down from the clouds and onto the solid ground of adulthood. Artemus knew very well that he was not supposed to favor one student over all others, even if that one student was his mentee, but he had very high hopes for Garrett. In a way, he also had high hopes for himself. He hoped that he could live up to the example set by the late, honored Quinn and be a good teacher to Garrett. Artemus was nearing forty. Even with plenty of people living to see sixty, he knew that there was only so much he could accomplish in the remainder of his lifetime. He wanted one of his accomplishments to be to see Garrett succeed. But succeed at what? As hard as he tried, Artemus could not envision Garrett as a full fledged Keeper. Not that Artemus's passing imaginings had anything to do with his student's future, but that didn't keep him from wondering…

_Don't even think about it, old man._ He though sternly. Always looking into the future kept one from living in the moment, which was necessary to maintain the balance. What would be would be. Artemus firmly instructed himself to remain in his own time and accomplish the task at hand, which, at the moment, was to go find Garrett and ask the boy himself about what exactly happened that day when he found the doomed Seventh Enforcer…

* * *

…**The Night Previous…**

_The sky was a bloody red that seemed to glow, but illuminated nothing. The buildings, suddenly grown to monolithic heights, were black and silhouetted against the molten sky. Garrett was running through the streets. He was running from… something. Or was he looking for something? He couldn't remember. All he knew is that he should keep running no matter what. He rounded a corner and crashed into Iysst the Beggar. Iysst fell to the black, cobbled street, cursing. When Garrett offered him a hand, Iysst merely cackled and slapped the proffered hand away._

"_Don't you worry about me, boy. You have bigger problems."_

"_What do you mean? What do you know?" demanded Garrett. Whatever he was running from was getting closer, he could feel it. _

_The old man only laughed and then sprung to his feet and was gone in a flash. _

"_Wait! Wait just a damn minute!" Garrett ran after him, but Iysst had disappeared. Tearing through the streets, he heard voices, familiar voices, calling out to him, laughing at him. He could feel bitter panic clawing its way up his throat. To his right, there was a brief flash of white light. He whipped around and saw an Enforcer standing there, but this Enforcer was unlike any he'd ever seen. It had to be at least ten feet tall, and seemed to exist within its own corona of reddish light. It was laughing at him; a laugh that made Garrett's insides turn to ice. Initially, it was booming and deep, but at times it rose to a high pitch that sounded more like a wildcat's scream than a human voice. Garrett clapped his hands over his ears and watched in frozen terror as it monstrous Enforcer raised its claw-like hands to its mask. Garrett screamed…_

"Garrett! Garrett, wake up!"

Someone was shaking him. He lashed out a hand and made contact with something warm.

"OW! Goddammit, Garrett!"

Garrett opened his eyes and realized with extreme relief that he had been dreaming. He sat up in his bunk as far as he could without bumping his head on the ceiling.

"What the hell did you hit me for, you little taffer?!"

Still dazed from his sudden awakening, Garrett turned and looked down at Aloysius, who was rubbing his shoulder and eyeing him with a bizarre expression that was a mixture of both concern and annoyance. His other two roommates were wide awake and staring at him. One of them was obviously fighting back laughter. Garrett's cheeks flushed.

"Sorry Aloysius…" he mumbled.

"You'd better be sorry! That hurt!" his friend snapped.

Garrett rubbed his eyes. "What the hell happened?"

"You were thrashing around and muttering about something." Aloysius said, still holding his shoulder. "You were making the whole bed shake."

"Oh." One of the other boys started to chuckle, but was silenced by a fierce look from Aloysius.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Garrett muttered, not meeting anyone's eyes. He slid out from under his covers and climbed down from his top bunk. He threw open the door and started down the hall towards the washroom. It wasn't often that he was genuinely embarrassed, and the unfamiliar feeling of wanting to curl up in a corner and be invisible made his skin crawl.

"Garrett, wait a minute." Aloysius had followed him.

"What?" Garrett snapped. He was sure he was bright red, and all he wanted to do was hide out in the washroom until he had regained his composure.

"I just wanted to know if you're alright. You… you don't look so good." Aloysius said, peering at Garrett through the bluish shadows.

"I'm fine, alright? Just leave me alone, I'll be fine." Garrett snarled. Aloysius raised his eyebrows and frowned.

"I was just asking." He muttered, and disappeared back into their room.

Garrett rubbed his eyes again, and padded down the hallway. He slipped into the washroom and got a drink from the basin in the corner. Moving as though in a daze, he cupped some of the frigid water in his hands and splashed his face, not noticing or caring that he was getting the collar of his loose, linen nightshirt wet. He waited until all the ripples had gone and then dared a look at his reflection. Aloysius was right. Even in the dim light of a single, flickering candle someone had left, Garrett could see that he was very pale, and there were purple crescent shadows under his eyes. He groaned and sat down on the ground with his back against the wall, rubbing his temples, which were beginning to ache. It took him a moment to realize that this was an action he has seen Artemus perform many, many times.

"Great" he muttered "I'm turning into my mentor…"

Garrett was no stranger to nightmares. When he was young and still living on the streets, he had them so often that they had become a simple part of daily life. Still, those nightmares were never like the one he had just experienced. The nightmares he had as a child usually featured some kind of monster or occasionally a very surly night-watchman with a large club that was trying to get him and eat him. Garrett could easily cope with those nightmares. But this one had been different. There was something about it that left him feeling as if his brains were vibrating inside his skull. Most of his dreams faded from his memory very soon after he woke up, but every detail of this most recent dream was branded in his mind. He sighed, realizing how tired he was. Far away, the clock tower chimed the hour in melancholy bass notes. Forcing the memory of the nightmare out of his thoughts, Garrett got up and got another drink before leaving the washroom.

Once he was out in the hallway, his skin began to prickle with the sensation that he was being watched. Tendrils of blind, animal fear crept up his spine and the backs of his legs. Not even trying to stay calm and rational, Garrett sprinted down the hallway and practically dove for the door to his room. Ignoring the strange, surruptitious look from Aloysious, he climbed as quickly as he could into his bunk. For the first time in who knew how many years, Garrett didn't sleep a wink that night.

* * *

A floor above Garrett's dorm, hidden away in a secret room, the Third Enforcer snapped into consiousness. It could sense that its fellow Enforcers, ensconced in their own rooms, were wide awake, startled out of the meditative state that replaced sleep for them. Ninth and Fourteenth were annoyed. Fifth was slightly frantic. Second, that thrill seeker, was excited. The others were groggy and confused.

_**I'm not the only one who sensed that, right?**_ Asked Fifth.

_**No… No, I sensed it too.**_ Said Fifteenth.

_**Quite a vivid dreamer, that boy is.**_ Said First, already settling back into its meditation.

Behind its mask, Third's long-since-stationary lips twisted into a smile. _**Yes. Yes he is…..**_

* * *

As always, reviews are greatly appreciated :)


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